<p><img src="/perch/resources/mythbustingupdatesquarew2-6small-w800.jpg" style="float: left; width: 105px; height: 116px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" alt="Organic prohibits toxic synthetic pesticides" width="105" height="116"></p><p>Misinformation about organic food production is everywhere...
www.global-organics.com
Q: Are pesticides allowed in organic farming?
A: Natural or non-synthetic pesticides are allowed by the USDA National Organic Standards. These same standards prohibit MOST synthetic or man-made pesticides, for example, glyphosate (Roundup®). An example of a non-synthetic pesticide is a naturally occurring microscopic fungus used to infect and fight targeted insects.
That is the short answer. As you know, everything is more complicated than it seems, so here is the long answer.
The organic standards prohibit the use of most synthetic pesticides, however, under very special circumstances the National Organic Program allows the use of synthetic pesticides under highly controlled applications. The list of exceptions to the “no synthetics” rule is called the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances and is published by the USDA.